Christine M. Wobbeking
Dear Parents,
Welcome to my latest adventure in education! This year marks my 11th year teaching, and my fourth at OLV. Most of those years were spent in Virginia, teaching Spanish in a FLES (Foreign Language Elementary School) program. I taught high school Spanish for a year before arriving at Our Lady of Victory. I am excited for the new challenge.
The Catholic faith is a topic that I am passionate about, and it is one in which the learning never really ends. I was raised Catholic; in fact, it was through the regularity of the Mass readings and responses that I learned to read! The marvel of the internet has made my learning about the faith a daily habit. I continue to learn about the power of the rosary, the lives of the saints old and new, and the great apparitions and revelations around the world. The parishes I joined over the years have served as community for my family, and in the darkest days of my life, the faith brought me great comfort and hope.
It is those dark days I wish to address now. Our 8th grade students approach an important crossroads in life next year, - entering high school. Many will continue with a Catholic education, and others will not. Regardless of where they will go to school next year, it is imperative as parents and educators that we arm our children with the teaching of solid, Christian values which we model in daily life. While temptation abounds, as it always has, the media landscape awaiting our young people is far different from what we adults experienced growing up. We are bombarded with information, entertainment, and social interaction, all at the touch of a button. Media overflows with questionable values, atheism, militantly anti-Christian and anti-Catholic messages. This passage from St. Paul sums up my mission and commitment to our young people: "Therefore take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day." (Ephesians 6:13) The results of poor catechism are poor choices made in the young adult years and beyond. And those poor choices bring consequences that affect those around us. I know this all too well. My soul bears the scars of poor choices made in life, but also the healing that comes from God's forgiveness and a firm resolve do right.
My fervent hope is that your children will be better prepared to confront the evil in this world than I was at their age. To that end, I promise to discuss the Catholic faith and all the moral issues presented in class in a frank, age-appropriate fashion. I will start and end each class with prayer. Your students will learn and memorize some new prayers this year (The Angelus, the Prayer to St. Michael, the Memorare, and the Creed). We will study Scripture. We will analyze items found in the media, namely articles and videos, with an eye to seeking out Christian principles. We will discuss current events when appropriate. There may be debates. What I ask of you, parents, is that you treat this class with the seriousness it deserves: please support your student in their homework, projects, as well as behavior expected in class. Please share your faith with your child by taking him or her to church on the weekend. There is something far more precious than a report card grade riding on this class, it is his/her immortal soul.
Welcome to my latest adventure in education! This year marks my 11th year teaching, and my fourth at OLV. Most of those years were spent in Virginia, teaching Spanish in a FLES (Foreign Language Elementary School) program. I taught high school Spanish for a year before arriving at Our Lady of Victory. I am excited for the new challenge.
The Catholic faith is a topic that I am passionate about, and it is one in which the learning never really ends. I was raised Catholic; in fact, it was through the regularity of the Mass readings and responses that I learned to read! The marvel of the internet has made my learning about the faith a daily habit. I continue to learn about the power of the rosary, the lives of the saints old and new, and the great apparitions and revelations around the world. The parishes I joined over the years have served as community for my family, and in the darkest days of my life, the faith brought me great comfort and hope.
It is those dark days I wish to address now. Our 8th grade students approach an important crossroads in life next year, - entering high school. Many will continue with a Catholic education, and others will not. Regardless of where they will go to school next year, it is imperative as parents and educators that we arm our children with the teaching of solid, Christian values which we model in daily life. While temptation abounds, as it always has, the media landscape awaiting our young people is far different from what we adults experienced growing up. We are bombarded with information, entertainment, and social interaction, all at the touch of a button. Media overflows with questionable values, atheism, militantly anti-Christian and anti-Catholic messages. This passage from St. Paul sums up my mission and commitment to our young people: "Therefore take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day." (Ephesians 6:13) The results of poor catechism are poor choices made in the young adult years and beyond. And those poor choices bring consequences that affect those around us. I know this all too well. My soul bears the scars of poor choices made in life, but also the healing that comes from God's forgiveness and a firm resolve do right.
My fervent hope is that your children will be better prepared to confront the evil in this world than I was at their age. To that end, I promise to discuss the Catholic faith and all the moral issues presented in class in a frank, age-appropriate fashion. I will start and end each class with prayer. Your students will learn and memorize some new prayers this year (The Angelus, the Prayer to St. Michael, the Memorare, and the Creed). We will study Scripture. We will analyze items found in the media, namely articles and videos, with an eye to seeking out Christian principles. We will discuss current events when appropriate. There may be debates. What I ask of you, parents, is that you treat this class with the seriousness it deserves: please support your student in their homework, projects, as well as behavior expected in class. Please share your faith with your child by taking him or her to church on the weekend. There is something far more precious than a report card grade riding on this class, it is his/her immortal soul.